Van of Valor

Veterans Turn Wounds into Service, Embodying a State’s Unbroken Chain of Sacrifice

By Dr. Kevin P. Wallace
Van of Valor

RICHLAND CENTER, WI – For most, Wisconsin’s roads wind through serene dairy farms and quiet towns. 

But from the passenger’s seat of the Van of Valor, Lauren Wallace sees a different map — a living atlas of courage and sacrifice, written in the stories of the battle-wounded.

Link to the news story, Lance Cpl. James Foseid honored as first inductee into the Purple Heart Hall of Honor

https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2024/08/07/purple-heart-veteran

Wallace, an anthropologist and the wife of a Bronze Star with Valor and Purple Heart recipient, are on a mission to bridge the civilian-military divide. 

While on their national mission of more than 27,000 miles over 280 days across the contiguous United States, they’d reach the heroes of this state, to document the powerful narratives of Wisconsin’s Purple Heart veterans, ensuring their legacy of service echoes far beyond the battlefield.

“These veterans are Wisconsin’s beating heart,” said Wallace. “The Purple Heart designation is not just a medal; it’s a profound symbol that anchors our community’s identity. It transforms individual trauma into a collective strength, creating a permanent dialogue between our heroes and the citizens they protect.”

In Richland Center, a designated “Purple Heart City,” that dialogue is palpable. Two men exemplify the state’s unwavering commitment to honoring its own: Marine Cpl. James Foseid and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Johnson.

Cpl. Foseid’s valor was forged in the crucible of the Vietnam War. 

In 1967, under a hail of enemy fire, he saved a wounded South Vietnamese soldier, an act of allyship that earned him a bullet to the chest and the Purple Heart. 

Today, as Commander of Chapter 165 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, his mission continues. 

He is a relentless advocate, using his own experience to ensure no veteran at the Madison VA Hospital is ever forgotten.

“The uniform may come off, but the duty to your brothers and sisters never expires,” Foseid’s story proclaims.

Representing the new generation of the legendary “Red Arrow” 32nd Infantry Division, Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Johnson of the Wisconsin Army National Guard was wounded during the Iraq War (2004-2005). 

Rather than retreating after his injury, he ascended to become the senior enlisted leader of the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry. 

In retirement, he traded a recliner for the trenches of mentorship, honoring the fallen while rigorously preparing the next generation of soldiers.

“They are the vital conduits,” Wallace emphasized, analyzing their roles.

“Through men like Foseid and Johnson, the abstract, somber concept of ‘sacrifice’ is rendered into a tangible, lived reality,” she said. “They are active participants in social resilience, proving that the true impact of a hero is measured not only in the battles they survive, but in the communities they continue to build and inspire.”

As the Van of Valor continues its journey along Wisconsin’s Purple Heart Trail, its mission underscores a powerful truth: while medals are pinned on chests, their ultimate value is revealed in the lifelong service that follows.

Wisconsin doesn’t just produce heroes; it is a state where heroes, bearing both visible and invisible wounds, steadfastly continue to serve, lead, and weave their sacrifice into the very fabric of America.

This story honors the ongoing service of all recipients of the Purple Heart, the nation’s oldest military award, first created by General George Washington in 1782.

To reach the Van of Valor, email Manteo.Creative.SPOT@gmail.com. To support the mission or read more stories, visit www.HelpVoV.com.